PruCan Week
by Spazioaether
Summary: PRUCAN WEEK Prompts: Day 1: First Meeting or Fate Day 2: Do you remember when? - Childhood or Treasured memory Day 3: First Kiss or First Date Day 4: Classic AU - Coffee Shop, College, or Fake dating Day 5: Changing of the seasons or Vacation Day 6: Domestic situations or Cooking Dinner Day 7: Proposal or Getting together
1. Day 1: First Meeting

Thursday early afternoon, Gilbert found himself sitting in front of the TV in the apartment he shared with Ludwig. While Ludwig went to his business meetings and helped his company grow, Gilbert had a night job as a host. He didn't mind the job, even though his brother had other ideas. A bowl of half-finished cereal sat on the small table in front of the TV as a soap opera played. Gilbert had been invested in the show for quite some time since it was on when he woke up from his late night shifts. Of course he would deny any and all questions of him knowing about the show, even though he could tell people exactly what was going on.

At the moment, the show was revealing the important detail about who the father was for a child who was born during a rather strange love triangle that developed into that of a rectangle, when a piercing scream drowned out the answer. In fact, the scream had sent Gilbert from his seat on the couch onto the floor from shock.

"What the hell?" Gilbert looked around, wondering if it was just some sort of bad joke, or perhaps whoever screamed had found out the name of the father before Gilbert had. As he tried to regain his bearings, he heard several loud thumps against his wall and another particular high pitched scream.

Under normal circumstance people would have called the police and stayed the hell away from the source of whatever atrocious crime was being committed, but not Gilbert. He quickly grabbed his phone off the tablet sitting next to his bowl of cereal and texted his brother a quick message before sprinting to the door.

"No! Get away from me!"

The source of the screaming came from his next door neighbours who were relatively quiet. Gilbert was sure there was some sort of murderer in there. It had to be and his neighbour was certainly putting up a struggle. When he checked the door, he found the door unlocked and even slightly ajar. Taking the opportunity, he crouched as he snuck in the apartment.

The layout was similar to Gilbert's so he navigated himself quickly to the living room area to see a blonde hair man standing on the table, holding a hockey stick in defence and found nothing attacking him.

"Ah, I thought you were screaming because you were being killed." Now it was just awkward and Gilbert knew that, but without seeing an assailant he wondered what the hell the screaming was about. If the answer was something he didn't like, there would be hell to pay considering he was still in only his boxers and a tank top.

"You!" The blonde brandished the hockey stick around with a terrified expression to where even his glasses were askew. "Quick, get on a chair or something."

"What is wrong with—"

The problem was a very haired, eight-legged, spider crawling its way over to Gilbert, who quickly scrambled up on the nearest object, which was a recliner. The spider stopped its advance and just sat there for a moment.

"See." The blonde stared at the spider and pointed the hockey stick at it. "Every time I tried to kill it, it moved out of the way."

Gilbert glanced around to find a few small dents in the wall. When this was all over, he wondered what the landlord would say about it all. He shook his head and chuckled. When the spider moved, he quickly sobered up and stared at it. There had be some way of killing the spider, or at least getting it out of the apartment. Sadly, the spider seemed to have a different mind as it crawled under the chair Gilbert stood on. He tried to calculate if he could jump from the recliner to the loveseat. He would have to chance it.

"Don't! If you miss and on the floor…" The blonde looked distraught enough and seemed to genuinely think the spider was some mastermind criminal.

"Don't worry. I usually get into messes like this and do a fair job of getting myself back out. If anything I can still call my brother for back up." Gilbert wondered how Ludwig would react to being interrupted for a spider. Crouching, he nimbly jumped from the recliner to the loveseat. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to see if the spider had been spooked out hiding.

Nothing.

"You don't suppose it'll just stay there do you?"

"I don't know, I'm not a spider. Don't you have bug spray or something?" Gilbert asked, as the blonde tried to relax a little on the table.

"No. Al was supposed to bring some home from the store today but he forgot that's why he's not even home. I'm sorry for screaming and getting you caught up in all of this."

"No worries. It's not like I was doing anything important." Gilbert shrugged, playing off how he was going to check the internet as soon as this was done and over with to see who the father had been from his soap opera. "By the way, the name's Gilbert."

"Matthew, but most just call me Mattie." Matthew's grip on the hockey stick shifted a little. "Strange way to meet eh?"

"Very. But I've had other stranger encounters. Anyway, I have a plan to get that spider. You distract him long enough to where I can run over to my apartment and then I'll go and grab the bug spray." Gilbert pointed to the hockey stick and motioned for Matthew to touch the recliner with it.

"Right."

Matthew quickly followed Gilbert's instructions only to give a squeak when Gilbert jumped off the couch towards the hallway that would lead to the door and freedom. It was easy since he was still in shape and the adrenaline from the spider boosted his speed a bit. What he hadn't anticipated was what Matthew practically screamed behind him.

"It's following you!"

Scheiße. Of course there it was charging after him. What the hell did he ever do to the spider? Groaning, he quickly closed the door behind him, although why he still wasn't sure. It crawled right under and stopped as if in a confused stupor. Taking the chance, Gilbert fuddled around for his keys to unlock his own door to get a boot or the bug spray. Yet, just as he was about to get it unlocked, Ludwig opened the door.

"Bruder? What is going on? I kept hearing yelling from next door." Ludwig raised an eyebrow at his brother, who turned back toward the spider and then at Ludwig.

"Ah, there was this scream and then I went to see what was going on and now there's a spider. We need the spray!" Gilbert tried to get past Ludwig, there was just not time to wait for Ludwig to understand what was happening. Ludwig bared the way and look at the spider.

"Bruder," Ludwig said with a sigh. "Are you serious? It's only a spider."

Within a few seconds, Ludwig marched over to the spider, stared at it for a moment longer, before raising his boot and killing it. Gilbert could only stand there dumbfounded at how easy it was to kill the spider and how blown out of proportion the whole deal was. He hadn't even known if the spider was poisonous or not.

"Danke." Gilbert managed to say before knocking on their neighbours' door. "It's dead!"

A thud came from behind the door, before pounding feet grew closer. The door opened up to have Matthew fling himself at Gilbert. All he saw was a flash of blonde curls and felt the uncomfortable wire frames from Matthew's glasses dig into his shoulders.

"Thank you. Really, you have no idea how scary that was." Matthew hugged him tight, as he continued to bury his face in Gilbert's shoulder.

"A-Actually, Ludwig killed it." Gilbert pointed to his brother who stood there examining his boot and giving a displeased look at the dead spider.

"Oh." Matthew sniffled before letting go of Gilbert. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Gilbert shrugged. "Ludwig, this is our next door neighbour you saved."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ludwig, his younger brother. I'm going to go and dispose of this thing. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?" Ludwig asked, as he held the book a little away from himself in case the spider fell from his boot, but Gilbert doubted it would considering how hard Ludwig had stomped on it.

"Oh yes, thank you. I'm just going to go and get changed then." Matthew said with a smile and nod of his head.

"Ja, all right. Bruder, you should get changed as well." Ludwig noted as Gilbert looked down. With a small note of recognition, Gilbert quickly made his way over to the apartment door to get changed. That was how Gilbert meet his neighbour, a spider who just had it out for them.


	2. Chapter 2: Treasured Memories

_Just as a heads up, there is mention of blood, and an almost death. Other than that, this is a little crudely done since I didn't have a lot of time. I'm thinking about just sorta making the week all into one story with the prompts sort of leading the characters along and such. So there you go. Enjoy_

* * *

Gilbert tried to keep his eyes open, but it was getting harder and harder with each blip he heard from the machine next to him. Every second it made a sound, it meant his precious Matthew was still alive. Alfred and Matthew had been in a car accident a few days ago. Ludwig drove Gilbert to the hospital as soon as the news reached them, but only family members were able to see either of them.

Thankfully, Alfred woke up after the second day and gave Gilbert permission to stay with Matthew while Alfred recovered in the room next door. Several others had already come and gone, bringing flowers to decorate both rooms with, but only Gilbert stayed consistent throughout the room. If he wasn't sitting in a chair near the bed, he was taking a small power nap on the small cot the nurses set up for him upon his refusal to leave Matthew. Ever since the incident with the spider, he and Matthew had become the best of friends.

"Birdie, I need you to open your eyes again. I need to know you're okay," Gilbert whispered. He sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead on the bed sheets of Matthew's bed. Their hands intertwined with each other, but no sign came from Matthew having heard Gilbert's request. "Come on birdie. Normally its you sitting here awaiting for me to wake up. Not the other way around."

* * *

Gilbert knocked on Matthew's door, knowing the Canadian was around since it was Wednesday night. The only thing Matthew did on a Wednesday night was watch whatever new show was showing and fold his figured it was time to break the Canadian's routine with a little bit of adventure.

"Gil? What did you do this time?" Matthew shouted the moment he opened the door. Quickly, he grabbed his keys from the small bowl that sat on a small table near the door. Before rushing out with Gilbert, he turned to the hallway closet and tossed Gilbert two towels. "You better have a good explanation for this eh?"

Gilbert only cackled as he used one of the fresh towels to cover the cut on his wrist. He figured after cutting himself rather deeply from his adventures of attempting to cut potatoes while still half asleep, the best person to go to was Matthew. Normally he would still be asleep since he still had his job as a host. Although Wednesdays he had off. So when the bleeding wasn't exactly stopping, or when he felt a little light headed after a few minutes he knew he should probably go to the doctors. But he refrained from saying too much, lest he make the poor Canadian worry even more for Gilbert's safety. He was a better cook than some of his friends. It just so happened that today was not one of those days.

"I was cutting potatoes, but they were being totally uncool and then the knife slipped." Usually Gilbert was rather animated with his hands thanks to certain Italian friend's influence, but with the towel all he could was mimic a strange chopping motion which Matthew quickly stopped as they headed out to the car.

These trips to the ER were something of a frequent thing between Matthew and Gilbert since the incident with the spider. Gilbert found himself in dire need of someone to rush him to the ER for something stupid he did, or when he was too sick to do anything else on his own. Out of all the trips, this was probably the most in danger he had been in for quite some time. He could feel the colour draining from his face as he tried to apply more pressure to his wrist. The trip to the ER was quick thankfully since they didn't live too far away, and Gilbert was sure Matthew broke a few speeding laws. The two were greeted with a friendly smile, having known the front desk lady after their third trip over the course of a year. The two knew the drill, sit down and fill out the paperwork while you waited for the doctor to call your name.

"Why do they have you fill out paperwork when you're bleeding." Matthew shook his head, twirling a piece of his hair in his hand. "We fill this stuff out every time you do something stupid, you would think they have your information on file by now."

"Hey, we don't come here that often." Gilbert huffed, turned his body slightly since he couldn't just cross his arms. "Besides, what's there to be so anxious about? They'll see us when they can and the bleeding has slowed since the time I cut myself."

Gilbert knew when Matthew started to play with his hair he worried, but it was just a cut. He would live and tell the tale for another day. Or at least he told himself that and tried to be brave as he saw spots on in his vision. He could make it. He had gone through worse just trying to come to America. A ringing filled his ears as he tried to get himself to stay sitting up. It was strange at the edges of his vision he couldn't see anything but darkness. A sinking feeling felt it slowly dropped as he tried to will himself to stay conscious.

"Gil, are you okay? You look paler than normal." Gilbert startled a little to see Matthew's face in front of his own, but could hardly make out the sounds of the words since the ringing had not stopped. He figured he would just put on a brave face and assume he was king if he was okay.

"I'm fine. You worry too much. It's only a scratch."

As if to prove it, Gilbert moved his wrists a little, ignoring the pain and strain it put on him. With each movement, the black flecks in his vision grew stronger, sweeping his vision. After a moment he felt himself pitch forward, only to have Matthew catch him, calling for the nearest nurse before he remembered nothing more.

* * *

Later when Gilbert woke up in a hospital bed, Matthew explained to him, he had lost quite a lot of blood from the cut. The doctors had given him a blood transfusion and Matthew had stayed with him the whole night through with permission from Ludwig and the doctors. Gilbert vaguely remembered Ludwig was in another state doing some conference when it all happened. While the cut had not killed him, if it had gone any deeper it would have been a whole other story. Even after everything was said and done, the cut had turned into a scar that reminded Gilbert of that day. They day he knew Matthew would stay by his side no matter what happened. Someone he could trust with anything, even his life. Matthew was someone special and he would do anything to have his birdie wake up and scold him for doing something stupid, or invite him over for pancakes again. It was the first memory he could truly say he felt the possibility of loving the boy who was now laying in the bed in front of him. He couldn't lose him now that finally realised he did truly want something more than just a friendship with his neighbour. Something more than just the random small adventures of ER trips, and random nights of pancakes and coffee with a cake Ludwig made the day before.

"Birdie, please. I have things I need to say."


	3. Chapter 3: First Date

_Again this was a bit rushed because of my college work load, so please forgive clunky paragraphs and such. I hope you enjoy._

* * *

Gilbert felt his heart flutter as he straightened the shirt he wore with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Petals soon found their way to either the floor or on his shirt. Alfred laughed next to him only to brush some of the petals off Gilbert in an almost motherly fashion.

"Dude, calm down. You've been coming to visit him every day since he woke up." Alfred gave him a thumbs up and a wink to encourage Gilbert, but Gilbert felt nothing but a ball of anxiety form in the pit of his stomach.

"But Alfred, this is different. He's getting discharged and giving me a chance to take him out on an actual date." Gilbert swallowed past the lump he had in his throat. "What if something goes horribly wrong? What if I screw something up and he'll never want to see me again?"

"Dude, whoa. Calm down. You two have been friends ever since I forgot the spider repellent. I doubt you'll stop being the best of friends. Now go in there before I do." With one final reassuring pat on Gilbert's shoulder, Alfred pushed Gilbert to the door, opening it for him.

Gaining his balance, Gilbert straightened up to see Matthew sitting on the side of his bed, staring down at his legs. When the door opened, the sad look on Matthew's face was replaced with a smile, but the smile never quite reached his eyes. Gilbert wanted to help relieve the pain so he held out the flowers with a sheepish grin.

"Hallo Vögelchen. I thought since—well you know—this is our first date an' all I thought to bring you something." Matthew giggled, covering his mouth with his hand like he usually did.

"Thanks Gil." Matthew took the flowers, smelling them before giving him a nod of his head in approval. "So, where are we going?"

"Ah, to apparently one of your favourite restaurants. Alfred said it was, so if it's not blame him." Gil quickly said as he rushed over to the wheelchair to bring it over to Matthew.

Since the accident, Matthew had pains in his leg, making it rather difficult to walk. While the doctors say it's all because of post-traumatic stress and a phantom pain because of the accident, they still wanted him to stay off the leg while he recuperated from the surgeries he had. Yet, when Matthew eyed the wheelchair, Gilbert could tell the Canadian wanted nothing more than to walk on his own two feet again. It had only been a few weeks since the accident, but the doctors wanted to leave nothing to chance.

"Gil, do you think you could maybe get me a cane instead? I promise to use you when I need it." Matthew pleaded when Gilbert paused in front of Matthew with his arms wide open, meaning to lift Matthew into the chair himself.

"Vögelchen, as much as I would love to, I can't. You know the drill. The only reason you're getting released is because of the wheelchair and the promise to go to physical therapy to try get your legs working again." Gilbert shook his head with a sigh. There wasn't much he could do about the doctor's orders. While he wanted Matthew to feel better, to refuse what the doctors had specifically laid out for Matthew could lead in getting him even more injured than he already was. "Es tut mir Leid, Vögelchen."

"No, I'm sorry Gil. I should have known better than to put you through that. Let's just go." Matthew held out his arms so Gilbert could get a better grip.

Once Matthew was in the wheelchair, Gilbert produced a blanket with polar bears on it he and Ludwig had made over the weekend. Claiming it has a gift, Matthew could hardly refuse the blanket, and instead he tugged it a little closer. Gilbert swore he saw tears in Matthew's eyes, but said nothing as he pushed Matthew out of the hospital room. Alfred was waiting just outside, a guilty smile on his lips.

"All set bro?" Alfred, rubbed at the base of his neck nervously. This was only the second time he and Matthew had come into contact since the accident. Alfred blamed himself for the accident, but Matthew had swept it under the rug, knowing that Alfred would never have gotten them into danger on purpose.

"Yes. Thanks for taking my stuff home while I go out with Gilbert. Are you feeling alright?" Matthew asked as he played with the edges of the blanket.

"Yup! Just leave it to me. You two have a great date. Make sure to bring him home around midnight though. The folks are a bit worried." Alfred said, winking at the two of them before pressing a condom into one of Gilbert's hands. The self-proclaimed Prussian quickly shoved the small package into his back pocket and flushed red. "Make sure to be safe."

"Al! This is only the first date!" Matthew shouted after Alfred as Gilbert quickly rushed the two of them out of earshot of the rest of the hospital and into his truck.

It took a little while to settle Matthew into the seat, but thanks to Gilbert's truck, Gilbert was able to just tie down the wheelchair in the back without too much difficulty. The car ride was quiet, but a welcome one since neither knew what to really say to each other. While the two had professed their mutual feelings the moment Matthew woke up, this was certainly their first step to making their relationship more than just best friends. At least, as long as Gilbert didn't muck it up. The drive took about twenty minutes with traffic, Matthew having no clue where they were going until the sign for a small dinner lit up in their view.

The diner was small and run by a local family. They served breakfast, lunch and dinner at any hours of the day. But Alfred had sworn up and down that Matthew loved the pancakes from there. Gilbert had never heard of the place before, but trusted Alfred to give him a good place to go for their first date. The best part about the diner, it was rather inexpensive so it wouldn't even hurt his wallet after having not gone to work because of Matthew's hospitalization, which the club he worked at understood.

"Gil, how did you find out about this place?" Matthew's eyes lit up when he saw the small sign.

"Alfred told me about it and since I know how much you love pancakes, I thought this would be the perfect place to take you on our first date." Gilbert parked the car and stepped out to unhook the wheelchair for Matthew's use. The smile on Matthew's face faded a little at the wheelchair, but made no more requests to compromise the deal he and the doctor made.

"Thanks Gil, I know this must be hard for you," Matthew whispered when Gilbert lifted him once again to set him into the wheelchair.

"Are you kidding? We're best friends and you need help. I'm not going to turn away from you just because you can't use your legs just yet. I'll with you every step of the way. Although, I do have to start going back to my job soon before I get fired, but you can bet your Canadian maple syrup I'll be there for your physical therapy." Gilbert beamed down at Matthew, who turned a slight shade brighter under the waning light.

"Thanks Gil. I'm really glad I have you here." Matthew draped the polar bear blanket over his legs and nodded his head.

The two made their way inside the diner to have their fill of pancakes and joke about the next few weeks and what life would be like. Gilbert promised to help him in any way he could since he was home most of the day even if he slept the morning away. Matthew thanked him endlessly throughout the meal, but promised he would get better at handling the wheelchair and to become as independent as he possibly could in his situation. By the end of the night though, the two were fighting over who would get the last bite of pancakes and who used up all the syrup from the first container. With the bill paid and the night still warm since the autumn had yet too fully set in Gilbert suggested they grab some ice cream before Matthew needed to head home.

"I'd like that." Matthew played with the edges of the blanket as Gilbert pushed him to the only ice cream parlour in town. It was certainly the only one who claimed, and could back up, their ice cream was made fresh from milk and actual fruits. The parlour was one of Gilbert's favourites and hoped it would be Matthew's as well.

"Which flavour do you want?" Gilbert asked as he checked the bins in the window on display. While the parlour on the inside was rather busy, they had a small window for outside customers to grab a quick ice cream cone if they chose.

"Do they have something sweet?" Matthew was too short to see the flavours because of the wheelchair so had to trust Gilbert. "Actually, surprise me."

"Are you sure?" Gilbert raised his eyebrow at Matthew, a little taken aback by the level of trust. Matthew nodded. "All right then. Can I have two of your specials please? One scoop each."

The special turned out to be turtle sundae with extra caramel sauce. Matthew held both cones as Gilbert pushed him back to the car. At times Matthew would raise the cone for Gilbert to lick at some of the dripping ice cream, almost planting the ice cream in his nose a few times when there was a bump in the sidewalk. But instead of getting into the car, Gilbert pulled down the tailgate and helped Matthew onto it. Once Gilbert sat next to him, Matthew shared the blanket and gave him his respective ice cream cone.

"So what did you think about our first date?" Gilbert asked, as they attempted to see the stars in the streetlights.

"Well it certainly was fun. Sorry about the syrup in your hair. Do you think that will come out easily?" Matthew asked looking a little sheepishly at Gilbert, who patted a small spot where syrup matted his hair a little, he shrugged.

"Who knows? But it's not a bad look, maybe I'll just put a bit of gel in my hair and say it's a new style."

The two laughed for a moment before falling into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Neither knew what to say, but there was also no need to say anything. It seemed perfect with just the two of them sitting there, enjoying their ice cream. In fact, it was a little too perfect. Even Gilbert would admit it but he was afraid admitting it would just ruin the fun both of them were having.

"So, do you think after all of this we could possibly have another date?" Gilbert asked absently, knowing he was putting Matthew on the spot.

"Gil, I don't know why you were so nervous earlier. We already told each other how we felt, it was only natural we would start dating. So of course that means we can have another date. Maybe by then I won't need the wheelchair." Matthew said as he leaned to rest against Gilbert. Beaming with pride Gilbert nodded his head. "I wouldn't change this for the world."

"Ja, me either." Gilbert put an arm around Matthew, who snuggled a little closer.

Gilbert closed his eyes, content with life when he felt someone shaking him. But Matthew had stayed perfectly still underneath him, and didn't even comment about the shaking. It was then Gilbert realised he was only in a dream. His first date with Matthew had been all but a dream.

* * *

"Gil, dude, I've been calling your name for a few minutes now. I'm here to take over so you can get some food and a shower," Alfred said, his arm in a sling and bandages sticking out under the shirt he wore.

"Ja," Gilbert said a little disoriented. "Vögelchen didn't wake up?"

"Not unless you slept through it." Alfred set a bag next to the chair Gilbert sat in. "Come on, the nurses are worrying about your mental health. You need a break too. What about your job?"

"I took the rest of the week off. I'll start working on Monday, but after I get a few hours of sleep I'll probably come here to spend time with Matthew if he doesn't wake up." Gilbert stretched before getting up, hearing his legs crack and creak.

"See, you're going to turn into an old man at this rate Gil." Alfred chuckled as he replaced Gilbert on the chair.

"Ja ja. Keep saying that. Just wait till you get up when I get back later." Gilbert turned to Matthew and watched his chest rise and fall steadily. "I'll be back Vögelchen."


	4. Chapter 4: Classic Coffeeshop

Matthew took another week before he finally opened his eyes. Gilbert had been there when Matthew first opened his eyes, but the first phrase out of Matthew's mouth asked him who he was. Immediately the nurses called Alfred, who Matthew to still remember. Alfred promised to call Gilbert when they were home and if he could, Alfred would try to jog Matthew's memory. That was about a month ago.

Gilbert was tired of waiting. He still had those feelings for Matthew regardless having seeing so little of the Canadian. Gilbert would just have to take matters into his own hands and try to get in touch with Matthew. So he devised a plan.

The plan was simple. He would take Matthew to a few of the places they enjoyed, like the hockey rink, or the coffee shop they always visited when Gilbert got up early enough. Something there would surely jog his memory, and if it not, well they could make new ones. Gilbert was determined to make it work. After all, he had dreamed about Matthew every night since the accident.

"Alfred, I want to take your brother out on a date. He's up for that right?" Gilbert asked, after Alfred answered the door.

"A date? Dude, Gil I don't know if that's such a good idea. He's having a hard time coping with it all." Alfred rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Normally Alfred was all smiles and trying to get Matthew out of the apartment, so was Matthew really having that hard of a time?

"Then going out is exactly what he needs. I bet he's been locked up in that room of his and hasn't come out unless you dragged. Besides, maybe being with others will help his memory." Gilbert tried to look past Alfred to catch a glimpse, but Matthew was not sitting in the love seat that was in his view. "Come on. Being locked up for a month won't help in anyway."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Wait here, I'll go and see if he wants to go."

Gilbert nodded his head, resigning himself to lean against the frame of the door as Alfred went to talk with Matthew. After a few minutes, instead of Alfred, Matthew shyly walked out of the room all dressed. Gilbert straightened up, cleared his throat, and smiled.

"Birdie, how are you?" Gilbert spoke quietly, but even then Matthew jumped a little at the sound.

"I-I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Gilbert's smile faded a little. Matthew's voice was softer than it normally was, and the poor Canadian jumped at everything around him. Just what was wrong with his birdie?

"Would you like to get some coffee? I know your favourite place. If we go now, it should be pretty empty." Gilbert wondered if Matthew even remembered the coffee shop across the flower shop the two had gotten flowers for a performance they both saw together before the accident.

"Sure. I'd like that. Let me just grab my coat."

Alfred came out while Matthew went back into his room, giving Gilbert a smile and mouthed the words thank you. He disappeared just as Matthew came back out of the room, looking a little more like his old self, even not still a little pale.

"So do you want to walk or are you okay in a car?" Gilbert asked, knowing the walking distance was about two miles, but they had done it before while the weather was nice.

"W-we can drive. I'm not afraid." Matthew nodded his head as if in hopes to try and convince himself more than Gilbert.

"All right, but if you feel sick or something, we can just walk." Gilbert reassured him as the two left the apartment.

Matthew hesitated a little as he got into the car, but didn't say a word. Gilbert watched Matthew's every move to make sure his birdie was doing okay as he cranked the car up and started to drive out of the parking lot. After getting onto the busy street, Gilbert was glad to see the accident hadn't left Matthew with nightmares about the accident. Still, he was a little worried about Matthew forgetting him, yet he couldn't find the right way to bring that up or even really start a conversation.

"So, Alfred told me that we hung out a lot before the accident," Matthew said, bringing Gilbert out of his thoughts.

"Ja, we did. You could even say we were inseparable in the week before the accident." Gilbert smiled, making sure to keep focused on the road to show Matthew he was safe.

"I'm sorry. It's pretty sad eh? That I can remember everyone, but you." Matthew sighed, curling up in a ball as Gilbert drove.

"I don't think it's sad. More like now we get to start over, even if you don't get your memories back." Gilbert's fingers stopped tapping to the beat of the music playing from the radio. "Wait, don't tell me you've been avoiding me because of that."

Matthew gave a dry laugh. "Sort of. I just didn't know how to face you. Al assured me that you would be okay and we could start over. But then he said something about you liking me. I don't know what to say or how to react because I don't remember if I liked you back or not. How could I face you then?"

"Whoa there Birdie. That's a lot to process for just one person, especially if they can't even remember me." Gilbert glanced in Matthew's direction for a moment before reaching out to pat his head gently. "You could have come to me. I wasn't going to tell you about my feelings until I felt you were ready to hear them. I just missed you is all, so I wanted to hang out again."

Matthew nodded his head, relief washed over his face as he smiled a little. "Thanks, Gil. I'm glad you turned out exactly how Al said you would be."

"Hehe, well if anything I'll prove to be even better than what Alfred said." Gilbert gave him a wink as he pulled into the parking lot of the cafe. "Well, we're here Birdie. Order anything you want. I'll pay for you."

"What? No, I couldn't possibly let you." Matthew waved his hands rapidly as they got out of the car.

"Birdie, I'm taking you out so I'll pay for it."

Matthew nodded his head. He followed Gilbert closely as they entered the coffee shop. The barista at the counter smiled brightly, greeting them both. Matthew nodded back, but stayed quiet. Gilbert ordered their usual coffee, hoping that it was really only him Matthew forgot and still liked the caramel mocha he normally got with an extra shot of caramel. With drinks in hand, the two found themselves sitting across from each other by a small table. Everything about Matthew was still the same as they sat there. He was quiet around other people, if a little jumpier than usual, but he still hummed in delight when he took his first sip of coffee. Even the fluttering of his eyes as he melted into the atmosphere was still the same way Gilbert's Matthew had done things. There was no way Matthew had really forgotten only Gilbert.

"So birdie, does being here remind you of anything?" Gilbert tried his best to make it seem like a casual question, but Matthew frowned.

"I remember coming here a lot. And it's a bit hazy, but I know someone usually came with me, but I could have sworn that it was just Alfred. Otherwise, I came here alone." Matthew held the cup of coffee daintily in his hands. Gilbert wondered if the Canadian was careful in his word choice so as not to hurt Gilbert's feelings.

"Well, I can tell you, that we used to go here a lot. It wasn't Alfred who took you, but the awesome me." Gilbert pointed to himself with a grin. If he had to start over he was more than willing to fight for Matthew's feelings once again. Gilbert was sure they were there the first time around.

Matthew nodded his head and smiled. "I'm sorry I keep forgetting things with you in it. I'd like to remember. Really I would. But every time I try, I get these headaches. The doctor said that I might have to talk with a therapist or just wait and see if the memories come back on their own."

"Hey, we can take this one step at a time. You don't have to remember the past, so long as you don't forget today okay?" Gilbert sipped at his black coffee, wondering just how on earth he was supposed to show Matthew the two of them had cared for one another so long ago.

"I can do that. Thank you Gil. I know it must be hard, but I really do appreciate this." Matthew hesitated, but reached out grab Gilbert's to give it a reassuring squeeze. "It probably hurts, so I'm going to keep apologising until we can figure it out."

"Birdie, you don't need to apologise. It's not like it's your fault you lost your memories. It was the accident, which by the way was the other driver's fault, not Alfred's." Gilbert remembered the police stopping by once or twice to talk with Alfred and he overheard the entire conversation.

"Al told me. He said the other driver made it out without as much as a scratch. Funny, how life works like that." Matthew retracted his hand and focused on looking out the window to watch the people passing by. Gilbert watched him.

"You know, I had dream where you couldn't walk on your own any more. You had to use a wheelchair just to get around. I think I prefer this memory loss to that dream because I didn't know what to do to cheer you up." Gilbert absently swirled his coffee around, watching a few coffee grinds swirl around in a circular motion.

"You dreamed about me?"

Gilbert nodded.

"Gil, you do care a lot about me. Well, if it helps any, I did dream of you a little too towards the end. When I woke up, I thought I was still in the dream and I wanted to know your name. You never really spoke in my dreams, so I figured if you called out to me then, I would finally know it." Matthew's cheeks flushed slightly. "I guess, I dreamed about you because you were around so much while I was out cold."

"Maybe. Either way, it kinda makes me happy to know that I was in your dreams." Gilbert rubbed at his nose in embarrassment. "Anyway, let's finish the coffee and go home. Your favourite soap opera is going to be on. You've missed a lot so we'll have to catch you up."

"Okay."


	5. Chapter 5: Changing Seasons

Haha, I caught up again :D Anyway, this one is a little short, but it's cute. Enjoy

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A few months passed since Gilbert found out Matthew had forgotten him because of the accident. Little by little the two had grown close to one another. While Matthew was still hesitant on a few things, it was clear he had no intention of letting Gilbert go. For Matthew, he knew there was something more than just being friends between them, and Gilbert had the inkling that Matthew was starting to come around to the idea of actually dating him. Still, the two took one step at a time. Matthew started going to therapy to try and get his memories of Gilbert back, but there was no telling what might trigger them, or if they would ever come back.

But as time passed, Matthew was invited back home to see his parents for the upcoming holidays. Gilbert decided to tag along when he was asked since Alfred was going home himself to his family in the United States. Gilbert found out the two boys, while being siblings, were fostered by different parents and had only recently found each other through college. It was a strange case, but then again Ludwig and Gilbert weren't exactly all that normal either when it came to sibling relationships. Either way, Gilbert would be staying through Thanksgiving with Matthew and his family before heading back to the apartments to enjoy the rest of winter and Christmas with Ludwig.

When Gilbert and Matthew arrived in Canada, Matthew wanted to show Gilbert everything there was to know about the town he grew up in. For Gilbert, it reminded him of the small town he had lived in back in Germany. It was quaint and quiet, but it certainly had character. So Gilbert suggested getting up early to walk around and enjoy the town before the people were awake. Matthew loved the idea until he almost had a frozen Prussian by his side.

"Gil, I know you said that we should go for a walk, but you really should have thought to wear more." Matthew said as he pulled off the scarf he was wearing to hand it to Gilbert.

"I don't need it. I'm used to cold weather. It's only just turning into winter, why the hell is it so cold outside?" Gilbert took the scarf and put it back around Matthew. "Besides, we don't want you getting sick. Remember last year? I had to take care of you for at least a week with my special homemade soup!"

Matthew chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "Sorry, I don't remember that."

"Well it's true! You should have seen it. The day I found out you were sick, you were covered in tissues, and the air was so not cool. Al didn't know what to do when he called me over. So I made you soup, we watched all your favourite hockey games that you recorded and even watched the Mighty Ducks at one point I think. "Gilbert ticked each item off on his hand as his breath slowly crystallised in the air.

"Okay, okay. I believe you Gil, but let's get you home before you really do freeze. I know Germany gets cold, but I doubt it gets as cold as Canada." Matthew took part of the re-wrapped scarf and wrapped it around Gilbert's neck. "We'll share it. No one's on the streets this early in the morning anyway."

Gilbert decided to wear only a thin sweater, claiming the cold never bothered him since he was Prussian and Germany got a bit cold during the winter, but Gilbert was strong enough to just weather through it all. Or so he thought, until the biting wind nipped at his nose and made his otherwise pale skin turn red. Matthew had been concerned from the very start, claiming Gilbert should have warn thicker clothes, but when he refused to change, Matthew swore he would just let Gilbert freeze. Watching him shiver though, was more than the Canadian could hand though.

"Fine, but I don't need it." Gilbert rubbed his arms for a bit of warmth, wishing he had worn a thicker sweater. How was he supposed to know it was so damn cold in Canada?

"My parents are going to get a kick out of this." Matthew chuckled as he took off one glove and handed it to Gilbert. "Put that on."

"Was? What about your hand?" Gilbert shook his head, making the scarf move a bit.

"Gil, just trust me. Put it on."

Gilbert did as he was told, finding a bit of relief in the warmth it provided his hand. The one that was still free to the elements of the icy wind, was grabbed by Matthew and stuffed in his pocket along with his own hand.

"There, now you won't be so cold. We'll just have to walk a little closer." Matthew's glasses fogged up a bit from his breath, but his rosy nose and smiling eyes made Gilbert's heart melt. "I'll make sure to cook some pancakes and make coffee as soon as we get home. But I want you to go and take a hot shower to warm yourself up."

"Ja Mutti." Gilbert rolled his eyes and cackled. "I'll do as you say. But only if I get wear one of your hoodies. They're thicker than anything I brought."

"Sure, just not the hockey one or the strictly Canadian one. You know which I'm talking about. I don't want syrup all over it because of how messy you are with the stuff." Matthew slightly bumped Gilbert's arm playfully as the two continued on their walk. Gilbert bumped back with a smirk on his face. "You know you'll lose. You always do."

"Ja, but that's why I adore you." Gilbert's face was already red from the wind, but grew even more so as he grinned at Matthew.


End file.
